Popular burger chain on track to open franchise by end of year

Encinitas may gain its first In-N-Out Burger restaurant by late December.

Speaking after the city’s Planning Commission unanimously backed the proposal Thursday night, company representative Kim Kennedy said the goal is to open by the end of the year and that so far it looks achievable.

The popular fast-food chain, known for its simple menu and quality food, is proposing to put its first Encinitas restaurant on Calle Magdalena just a block southeast from where Encinitas Boulevard crosses Interstate 5.

Plans call for the company to take over what is now a Del Taco fast-food building, renovate the aging structure, expand it by some 1,700 square feet, and upgrade the surrounding parking lot. The new restaurant will have the same menu that other In-N-Outs have, Kennedy said.

The Del Taco building is tucked behind Oggi’s Pizza & Brewing Co. and the Valero gas station. Traffic into and out of the taco joint has been relatively light, but that’s expected to change with the arrival of In-N-Out.

“The concern of the church is the amount of traffic generated on Calle Magdalena,” San Dieguito United Methodist Church representative Frankye Filteau told planning commissioners Thursday night.

She said her church has about 1,000 members and a preschool program, so mornings (particularly Sundays) are busy periods. Commissioners said the new In-N-Out wouldn’t be open for breakfast.

In plans submitted to the city, company officials wrote that the restaurant would open at 10:30 a.m. and close at 1:30 a.m.

O’Brien, who owns a gas station on the north side of Encinitas Boulevard, said traffic congestion is already a huge issue in the area. The new burger restaurant will likely add thousands of vehicles a day to the road, she said.

Planning Commission Chairwoman JoAnn Shannon responded that the company forecasts its restaurant to add 944 vehicle trips a day in the area and thus no traffic study is required. Under the city regulations, traffic studies are required if a project adds a thousand vehicle trips or more.